Worcester residents urged to boil water

Tuesday

Nov 13, 2012 at 6:00 AMNov 13, 2012 at 10:43 PM

In the wake of a large water main break that left Worcester without water overnight, residents and restaurants in Worcester, Auburn and Millbury are being urged to boil tap water until further notice before using it for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth - even if the water is clear and the water pressure is full, according to city and state health officials. “I don't want people to panic,” said Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, acting health commissioner.

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Residents and restaurants of Worcester, Auburn and Millbury should continue to boil tap water until further notice before using it for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth - even if the water is clear and the water pressure is full, according to city and state health officials. The earliest the boil water order could be lifted is Wednesday afternoon, said Robert L. Moylan, commissioner of public works and parks.

“I don't want people to panic,” said Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, acting commissioner of the city's Division of Public Health. “I just want people to be safe.”

Worcester public schools will be in session tomorrow and parents are asked, if they have bottled water at home, to send some to school with their children. Free water, provided by Polar Beverages, will be available with lunch.

Dr. Hirsh said it does not take long for coliform bacteria to take root when the normal flow of water is reduced. He said the city Public Health Department is advising people to take the recommended precautions until Thursday or until the order is lifted.

“I understand it's a hassle,” Dr. Hirsh said. “We need to the Department of Environmental Protection's concerns seriously. We can't assume these organisms have not made their way into the system.”

In addition to boiling tap water for food preparation and drinking water, short showers with anti-bacterial soap are advised over baths, and ice cubes made in automated makers should be discarded.

If water were contaminated with coliform bacteria, consumers would not show symptoms such as cramping and diarrhea for 72 hours.

“I think we should all be suspicious of the water until we get the green light,” Dr. Hirsh said.

While water service is being gradually restored, pressure will be low in some areas, according to Mr. Moylan.

"Residents and businesses can expect rattling pipes, air in the water and discolored water. Let faucets run until clear. The process of recovery can be helped if residents and businesses open cold water taps to let air out. Do not open hot water taps as this will draw rusty water into your hot water tank. Avoid doing laundry for the next few days while the system fully recovers and discolored water dissipates," city officials said in a statement this morning.

Joseph M. Ferson, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the first round of testing for bacteria in the water will be done by the end of the day, and public officials will have the results by noon tomorrow.

Mr. Ferson said usually there are consecutive rounds of clean testing before a boil order is lifted.

Meanwhile, the city's 50 million-gallon storage tanks are being replenished to capacity today, and the water treatment plant is back online, according to Mr. Ferson.

The city still does not know what caused the break, which forced school delays and cancellations and left many in the city scrambling for their morning coffee fix.

"Cast iron is very, very tough material, but the one thing it doesn't do well is it doesn't bend," Mr. Moylan said. "If you put too much pressure on it to make it bend, it will just snap. It looks like that happened, but what caused that force on it we don't really know."

Millions of gallons of water were lost, he said.

The city is working on a plan to improve the reliability of gate valves in the water system while not compromising the water system, Mr. Moylan said. Those valves could have prevented the shutting down of the entire system, but at the critical moment, two did not work Monday night. One eventually worked and the other worked three-quarters of the way, he said, but officials didn't turn on the water until crews repaired the broken main.

Not far from the site of the break this morning, a stream of regular morning customers arriving at On the Rise Baking on Pleasant Street were disappointed to learn that nothing was brewing. Owner Betty Casey was without water in the predawn hours.

“Everyone wants a cup of coffee in the morning. I do,” she said.

On the Rise planned to close at noon today, five hours earlier than usual.

Nearby, at Tatnuck Cleaners, where water was starting to flow by midmorning, owner Kyong Kim wasn't taking any chances. No clothes will be washed for the time being.

“We're just not going to use that water today,” she said.

Tatnuck Cleaners lost business two weeks ago when Hurricane Sandy knocked out power.

The lack of a reliable water supply prompted the Fire Department to activate the District 7 Task Force, which brings tanker trucks in from surrounding towns to supply water for firefighting.

"I think kudos goes to the DPW for fixing the 30-inch main," Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell said this morning. He said there were no fires overnight in the city. Firefighters will purge hydrants in the city today.

The tankers were placed strategically across the city. Each city fire engine typically carries 500 gallons of water, while some of the surrounding towns' tankers can carry as much as 1,500 gallons, he said.

Besides Worcester, the break disrupted the water supply to the Elm Hill Water District in Auburn, Century Drive corporate park and the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston, and the Millbury Industrial Park.

Several other Worcester water customers were able to avoid being affected. Holden used its own water sources. The Woodland Water District in Auburn was supplied by the Auburn Water District and Paxton ceased pumping water from the city and was using water held in its storage tanks.

When the main broke yesterday, it sent a wide stream of water gushing across the front of Worcester State University's campus in the area of Chandler and May streets, sending a torrent of water all the way down to the baseball fields.

A college spokesman said progress was made last night in extracting water from the 95,000-square-foot Ghosh Science and Technology Center and crews were working overnight to continue to drain, clean and sanitize the building.

Worcester State will be closed again tomorrow, the school announced this afternoon.

Lea Ann Scales, college spokeswoman, said it was too early to tell how much the cleanup or repairs will cost.

She said students who live on campus were advised not to return after the long holiday weekend and said college officials and campus police would remain on campus to make sure any students who could not find other accommodations would be safe.

Traffic was diverted around the water in the university area. One man was seen rushing to his partly submerged car and hustling to get it out.

Sandra Crompton wandered over from her home on Underwood Street last night to find out why she had brown water. She saw the massive lake pooling on the college campus.

“I don't think they're taking baths tonight,” she said, looking at her two young children.

The city's water system has 40,000 connections and serves nearly 200,000 people.

One of the city's largest commercial users, Polar Beverages, was also having problems because of the water shutoff.

Christopher Crowley, executive vice president of the company, said Polar was forced to shut down five production lines and was running only cans.

He described the situation as a “total nightmare.”

From the DPH: Wash hands with soap and boiled or bottled water. If only tap water is available use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

— Worcester MA (@TweetWorcester) November 13, 2012

DISCARD any ice, juice, formula, stored water and uncooked foods that were prepared with tap water during the period of concern.

USE BOILED OR BOTTLED WATER for drinking, food preparation, mixing baby formula, making ice, washing food, manual utensil and equipment washing, rinsing and sanitizing, brushing teeth or any other activity involving the consumption of water.

CHILD CARE CENTERS AND SCHOOLS should use only bottled or boiled water for mixing infant formula, hand washing, and for mixing sanitizing solutions for diapering areas and surfaces such as tabletops and toys. Adult employees should use a hand sanitizer after washing hands with tap water and soap. Do not use drinking fountains and discontinue the use of water play tables. Follow all guidance provided by the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) and/or the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC).

RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS must follow the guidance of the local board of health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MassDPH). Wholesale food manufacturers must follow the guidance of MassDPH. Meat processing plants must follow the guidance of MassDPH and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Worcester State University crews continue to work to clean up the campus following yesterday's water main break. The only building affected by water from the break is the 95,000 square foot Ghosh Science and Technology Building. Crews worked over night to extract water from the building and assess damage. The building is dry and has been sanitized twice. University officials are working with representatives from National Grid to address the process for restoring power to the campus. Power was shut off yesterday as a safety precaution. University officials are also working with the Massachusetts State Building Inspector, who is on site today and was on site last night.

Essential employees and university police remain on campus today assessing the situation and will continue to update the community via the website, email, text and social media channels.

The break occurred under Chandler Street in front of the campus. The City of Worcester has issued a notice to residents to boil water for 24 hours. The campus currently has no power or water pressure. When systems are up and running, the campus may experience some disruptions as systems come back on line. University staff will work with students and employees when they are able to return to campus to address these potential issues.

Students have been sent home from the campus and all classes and activities have been cancelled for today and tonight, Tuesday, November 13. The campus community will be alerted when power has been restored and classes and activities resume. Although the campus is closed, students can register for courses on line according to their established registration time.

"We are grateful to the City of Worcester for their outstanding response," said President Barry M. Maloney. "We have been in constant communication and we deeply appreciate the hard working crews who worked all night and remain at work today. We ask for the patience of our students and employees as we work to restore the campus."